Metallic-belt-loading machine for cartridges



.I. F. KNIGHT.

METALLIC BELT LOADING MACHINE FOR CARTRIDGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6,19IB- Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

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METALLIC BELT LOADING MACHINE FOR CARTRIDGES.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAR.6,1918.

1,403A l 9. Patented Jan. 10, 1922,

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JOSEPH F. KNIGHT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

METALLIC-BELT-LOADING MACHINE FOR CARTRIDGES.

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Application filed. March 6, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, JosnrI-r F. KNIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic- Belt-Loading Machines for Cartridges; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improved apparatus for loading cartridges to metallic belts, in which it is desired to simultaneously in sert into the belt a plurality of cartridges and to impart to the said cartridges a strong longitudinal pressure near the end of the finished movement of insertion of the cartridge, whereby a resilient belt may be wedged apart to firmly grip the cartridge and to hold thesame securely in the belt until removed by the feeding mechanism of the rifle.

My invention will be more fully understood after reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar parts are -indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the complete machine showing some of the cartridges reac y for insertion, and showing part of the completed belt in dotted lines, the machine being shown with the pusher bar swung to the rearward position.

-Figure 2 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1, as seen from the right of said figure, the cartridges being omitted. I

Figure 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, but shows the pusher bar in the forward position.

Figure at shows a section through the bed plate along the line 4 l of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 shows a section along the line 55 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows, the pusherbar being shown in the rearward position.

Figure 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5, but with the pusher bar in the forward position.

Figure 7 shows a plurality of cartridges as secured together in the metallic belt; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing one of the links forming the metallic belt.

' A represents the bed'plate made of brass Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

Serial No. 220,797.

or any suitable metal which is provided with a series of parallel corrugations a adapted tolguide the individual cartridges, and also the individual links of the metal belt. At its forward edge this bed plate is provided with anupwardly-projecting rib a, having a series of perforations a registering with each groove a, as shown in Fig.4, to permit the passage therethrough of the nose of the cartridge. At each end of this rib a I provide a notch a", for purposes hereinafter to be described.

At each side, the bed plate is provided with ribs a having guide slots a for the ends of the pusher bar. The bed plate may also be provided with suitable cars a having bolt holes a adapted to receive bolts or screws whereby the said bed plate may be secured to any suitable table or platform not shown.

B represents the operating handle, which is in the form of a bow, having two parallel side bars I), pivoted as at b, to the bed plate.

The links C are pivoted near one end, as at c, to the side bars near the pivots of the latter, and the other ends of these links are pivoted to the lugs (Z projecting from the pusher bar D- into the guide slots a of the bed plate. By this arrangement the lower ends of the side members 1) form, with the said links C, a toggle joint which is operated by the handle B with a comparatively long lever arm. The side bars 6, links C and pusher bar D should be of sufliciently stiff and strong material so as not to bend appreciably during the operation of the machine which will be hereinafter described.

The cartridges E are of the usual type, tapering more or less irregularly from the nose to the base.

The'metalbelt in whioh the cartridges are held is made up of a series of hinge links F, such as are shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the blanks for which links are stamped out of suitable resilient metal, such as steel, and then bent to form three resilient gripping members 1, 2 and 3 connected together by the web 4. The member 1 of one link, when in use in the belt, projects in between the members 2 and 3 of the adjacent link and the cartridge, being shoved through the three members when so assembled, locks the two adjacent links together, but when the cartridge is removed, the two adjacent links separate. The

gripping member 3 is preferably slightly smaller than the gripping member 2, so that it may more readily fit the reduced portion of the cartridge case, as shown in Fig. 7.

The operation of the device is as follows The handle B is swung to the open position, witlnlrawing the pusher bar D to the rear position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, and then the cartridges and the corresponding links of the metal belt are inserted in the corresponding grooves a in the bed plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and Prefen ably each groove in the bed plate is supplied with a cartridge and corresponding link of the belt, but any desired number of adjacent grooves may be supplied with cartridges and belt links.

lVhen such cartridges and belt links are in position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the handle I3 is swung upwards and forwards about its pivot, causing the pusher bar to travel to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 6. The first movement of the handle will cause a quick throw of the pusher bar for wards towards the rib a, sliding the car tridges forwards and causing the bullets to project into the links of the belt; the final throw of the handle will cause the links G and lower ends of the side bars Z) to have a toggle joint effect and force the cartridges into the resilient members of the belt links.

Since the bow handle B acts at a long lever arm on the toggle joint, a powerful pushing effect is exerted on the pusher bar which forces the cartridges under considerable pressure into the resilient members 1, 2 and 3 of the belt links, causing the resilient metal of said links to grip the cartridges firmly and to hold them securely in place when the said belt carrying the cartridges is removed from the machine.

It will be noted that the ends of the slots (4 will prevent the forward movement of the pusher bar D beyond a predetermined distance, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and thus the cartridges will be pushed a uniform distance forward into the belt links; the forward end of the belt links being held against the rib a during said forward movement of the pusher bar.

Thus it will be seen that with cartridges of the same length the links of the belt will always be uniformly disposed with regard to thelongitudinal axis of the individual cartridges.

I have shown the bed plate as adapted to receive twenty cartridges and belt links, so that a length of the belt containing twenty cartridges may be assembled at a single operation. In order to make the belts containing cartridges of longer lengths when desired, I provide at one or both ends of the rib a a notch 0. with a short groove a between it and the rib a as shown in Figs.

1 and 4. The end cartridge of a finished strip may be inserted in this notch, with the end of the finished belt in the groove a, and the projecting end from said belt will project into the adjacent groove a and may be connected to the adjacent link of the unfinished strip, as shown at the left of Fig. 1.

In this way a series of strips of belt containing cartridges may be coupled together and a continuous belt of any desired length may be secured if desired.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described apparatus, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not intend to limit myself to details of construction except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A loading device comprising a bed, means thereon to position a plurality of links in overlapping relation and a plurality of cartridges, means to thrust the cart-ridges into the links, and means to limit the move ment of the thrusting means.

2. A cartridge feeding machine of the character described, comprising a bed plate provided with a pluralityof longitudinal grooves and a rib at one end thereof perforated to register with said grooves, the said plate being also provided with guide slots at opposite sides thereof, a pusher bar having its ends projecting into said guide slots, a bow-shaped hand lever having side bars pivoted to said bed plate at opposite sides thereof, and links connecting said slde bars and said pusher bar, and forming toggle joints with said side bars, substantially as described.

3. A cartridge feeding machine of the character described, comprising a bed plate provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves and a rib at one end thereof perforated to register with said grooves, said rib being also provided with a notch near the outer end thereof, the said plate being also provided with guide slots at opposite sides thereof, a pusher bar having its ends projecting into said guide slots, a bow-shaped hand lever having side bars pivoted to said bed plate at opposite sides thereof, and links connecting said side bars and said pusher bar, and forming toggle joints with said side bars, substantially as described.

4. A cartridge feeding machine of the character described, comprising a bed plate provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves and a rib at one end thereof perforated to register with said grooves, the said plate being also provided with side ribs at opposite sides thereof having guide slots therein, a pusher bar having end slugs projecting into said guide slots, a hand lever character described, comprising a bed plate provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves and a rib at one end thereof per forated to register with said grooves, said rib being also provided with a notch near each end thereof, the said plate being also rovided with side ribs at opposite sides thereof having guide slots therein, a pusher bar having end lugs projecting into said guide slots, a hand lever having side bars pivoted to said bed plate at opposite sides thereof, and links connecting said side bars and said pusher bar, and forming toggle joints with said side bars, substantially as described.

6. A cartridge feeding machine of the character described, comprising a rectangular bed plate provided with a plurality of longitudinal parallel grooves and a rib at one end thereof perforated to register with said grooves, the said plate being also provided with guide slots at opposite sides thereof, a pusher bar extending across said grooves and having its ends projecting into said guide slots, a bow-shaped hand lever having parallel side bars pivoted to said bed plate at opposite sides thereof, and links connecting said side bars and said pusher bar, and forming toggle joints with said side bars, substantially as described. 7

7. A cartridge feeding machine of the character described, comprising a rectangular bed plate provided with a plurality of longitudinal parallel grooves and a rib at one end thereof perforated to register with said grooves, said rib being also provided with a notch near the outer end thereof, the said plate being also provided with guide slots at opposite sides thereof, a pusher bar extending across said grooves and having its ends projecting into said guide slots, a bowshaped hand lever having parallel side bars pivoted to said bed plate at opposite sides thereof, and links connecting said side bars and said pusher bar, and forming toggle joints with said side bars, substantially as described.

8. A cartridge feeding machine of the character described, comprising a bed plate provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves and a rib at one end thereof perforated to register with said grooves, the said plate being also provided with guides at opposite sides thereof, a pusher bar having eoacting guiding means projecting into said guides, a hand lever having side bars pivoted to said bed plate at opposite sides thereof, and links connecting said side bars and said pusher bar, and forming toggle joints with said side bars, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JOSEPH F. KNIGHT. 

